A) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a kit for "sorting" pills and/or tablets. More particularly, it relates to a kit that can be used by a pharmacist, a nurse or any other person entitled to do so, for the purpose of preparing a set of individual containers containing pills and/or tablets to be administered to a patient. Each of these containers contains the pills and/or tablets that the patient has to take together at the same time during the day over a given period of time (preferably one week).
B) Description of the Prior Art
To prepare a set of individual pill containers for use by a patient, it has already been suggested to use a sheet of plastic material in which a plurality of recesses are molded. Each of these recesses defines a small upwardly opened container that can be filled with pills. After filling, all the containers are closed by means of a plastic sealing sheet on which can be printed all the desirable indications like the patient's name, the date and hour of administration, etc. . . . The sealing sheet is applied onto the container-defining sheet and thermo-sealed onto same. As can be understood, the indications are printed and formatted onto the sealing sheet so that each group of information referring to a given container be positioned in regard to the said container. Tearing lines are provided on both the container-defining sheet and the sealing sheet to allow for easy separation of the individual pill containers.
This assembly is efficient. However, it has some drawbacks. More particularly, it is very difficult and time consuming to ensure correct positioning of the preprinted sealing sheet on top of the containers. As can be understood, incorrect positioning of the sealing sheet will make the pill containers difficult to separate. Also, thermo-sealing is not economical, as it calls for thermo-sealing equipment.